Inspirational Women Leaders Of Tech: Lily Wen Of FTI Technology On The Five Things You Need To Know In Order To Create A Highly Successful Tech Company
Lead with positivity. We all handle stress differently, and giving into negativity can have an amplifying effect on others around you. For example, I’ve realized when I’m stressed and tell the junior folks I’m stressed, the team absorbs those feelings. I can tell they truly care about me but leading that way doesn’t help us move forward.
As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women Leaders in Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lily Wen.
A Managing Director within FTI Technology, Lily Wen is an e-discovery practice leader with more than 15 years of experience advising and supporting clients with the use of technology in discovery and all aspects of electronically-stored evidence management. She specializes in the preservation and investigation of electronic evidence, web management, large-scale team management, organization of comprehensive preservation noticing and e-discovery process management.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What is the most interesting story you can share that has happened to you since joining your company?
I’ve had the opportunity to work on many high-profile matters, using my technical knowledge and workflow expertise, but I think one of the most personally rewarding opportunities came while working on an internal team-building event. I had the honor of working with one of the most amazing female leaders here at FTI Technology, along with many close colleagues, to direct a Virtual Summit for our Americas teams. It was an action-packed event spanning two and a half hours, with an 85% attendance rate. “Hollywood-quality-big-bang” is how many have described it back to me, and putting it together was the most fun I’ve had in my career. In brainstorming ways to make the event interesting day and night, my goal was to make it entertaining in ways that would strengthen our teams. It was an amazing opportunity to get leadership and junior team members together in the same “room” to connect.
What is the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting in your career in STEM? What lessons did you learn from it?
Many years ago, I was in an internal meeting as a consultant just starting out. It was my turn to introduce myself, and I was so nervous I accidentally said I was a managing director. That was funny to everyone else, so there was a lot of laughter. But I was embarrassed. What I took from it is that sometimes a mistake eventually becomes reality.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The people. Our FTI Technology team consists of so many people that have been here for more than 15, 20 and even 30 years. Our global teaming formula is so perfect that we can be fully utilized, yet not burned out. We work as one, which allows us to provide seamless support to our clients. The knowledge level of our people is incredible.
Also, leadership is truly protective of our culture and cares for all of us. If someone is sick, people deliver food and provide other forms of encouragement and support. If someone needs help with anything, we are always there, whether it’s work related or personal. The amount of support is incredible. For example, when I had COVID, the number of people who checked on me daily, for weeks on end, made me feel like I was fortunate to have COVID. We have the best culture.
Are you working on any exciting new projects? How do you think that will help people?
I am always working on exciting new projects. One of the most interesting projects I have worked on in my career so far was to work closely with an executive at a major global firm on a sensitive investigation. It involved very interesting content, which is so close to our everyday lives that we all know and have experienced.
Another project I am currently working on is exciting in a very different way. It involves a large team on our side working around the clock, on completely novel emerging data sources. All workflows for the project were developed and streamlined while working on the project. The excitement and adrenaline our team gets from the satisfaction of the completion of unique requirements are the driver for us to help each other to advance our knowledge level and our bond.
What are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by male counterparts? What would you suggest to address these issues?
Sometimes mothers must choose between spending more time with our children or with our team, and that’s often (not always, but often) a more difficult choice for women than it is for men. It’s extremely hard for some women like me to choose, as I absolutely love spending every second of my waking hours with my children. But I also love my work and hanging out with my colleagues.
To address this challenge, I believe it’s best to take work and life one day at a time — not to overthink and jump ahead too far into the future. Today, I get to spend more time with my kids, which is great. Tomorrow, I need to fly east for a meeting. I’ll do that and come back to my family as soon as I can. At the end of the day, my kids are proud of their mother’s work ethic.
What “myths” would you like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech?
People might see us as extremely successful, career-oriented women that put career above everything else. However, my family and friends (many of whom I work with) are a top priority in my life. I’m someone who’s working hard to support my family, and I happen to be a woman. I love my job and have so much fun working at FTI Technology. Waking up each day and knowing I’ll have a great day, with some of my favorite people, is a wonderful feeling.
What are your “Five Leadership Lessons I Learned from My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why?
- Be confident. Don’t hold back on providing advice on how to make projects better. At a workplace that values diversity and inclusion, your opinion counts. For example, in a situation where I believed certain things should be handled differently, I debated speaking up. To my surprise, a junior person told me to trust my judgement always, as this person and others trust my judgement. In the end, we can all make a difference.
- Lead with positivity. We all handle stress differently, and giving into negativity can have an amplifying effect on others around you. For example, I’ve realized when I’m stressed and tell the junior folks I’m stressed, the team absorbs those feelings. I can tell they truly care about me but leading that way doesn’t help us move forward.
- Be open to everybody’s ideas. Two heads are often better than one. Also, give everybody a chance to shine. Give space to people who are less vocal — they often have the best ideas! For example, when planning the Virtual Summit I mentioned, we held a call on how best to bring all the offices together. A senior director from another team suggested having everyone submit videos of our teams and offices around the world. That turned out to be the focal point of the event, and it came from a normally quiet team member.
- Know and believe in your leadership style. There’s not one correct way to lead. There are many people who are great at presenting, marketing themselves and communicating effectively. They show confidence and experience every time they start speaking. I personally do not belong in that category. I’m uncomfortable with self-promotion, but my value becomes clear over time through my work ethic, work product and the connections I make.
- Not everything is your fault. Sometimes, the issue isn’t you at all. For me, growing up in an Asian household, I was taught to accept fault or blame. I internalized that for a long time. As I grew up, I have realized things that go wrong for all sorts of reasons. Usually, there’s no one person to blame, and it’s more important to learn from a situation than waste time looking for a scapegoat.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
